Sporo03

"Sporo03?" I asked while still looking around. I was dazzled by the grow room and all of its lights. Every surface of the room from the ceiling to the floors was coated in a reflective material to bounce the light around so the plants could receive the most possible. The constant soothing hum of fans filled the room as they helped regulate the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

"Sporo is my home station. We are charged with housing and protecting our pod's seed bank as well as growing our pod's food. To lessen risk of loss if something happened to Sporo, five small ships were created. You are on the third small ship," Nera said very matter-of-factly.

I nodded in understanding when suddenly I noticed some struggling plants in the corner of the room. I walked over to them to investigate and recognized the familiar shape of the flower. The beautiful yellow petals had begun to wilt back on their stems and would never produce cucumbers in this condition. The culprit was unmistakable and blatant as it coated the leaves and stems in grey. I touched a leaf and wiped away the powdery mildew with my finger to confirm it.

Nera rushed up to me and grabbed my hand, instantly pouring disinfectant on my finger. "Do not touch it!" she commanded, her reaction startling me. Nera reached for her comms system, "there is another one in Sporo03. Take it to isolation immediately!" she barked at some poor soul on the other end of the comms.

"It's too far gone to save this one," I said sadly. It is painful seeing your crop fail, but you need to know when it is time to pull.

Nera's head whipped around and her eyes stared at me with a stressed intensity. "What would you know about this?" she snapped.

My brows furrowed in confusion. "I am a botanist," I said. "This is powdery mildew. That cucumber isn't worth saving at this point. Even if you do treat it it will struggle to produce. It would be better to get rid of it and start again I am sad to say."

Nera watched me closely. "What do you mean by treat?" she asked cautiously, as if she was afraid to give hope.

"There are some simple solutions. One method is to create a spray by combining one tablespoon baking soda and one-half teaspoon of liquid soap with one gallon of water. To prevent it spreading to the other crops we can create a spray of sulfur and water. That should help reduce the risk considerably. Too bad we can't use it on the cucumbers since they don't respond well to sulfur. Unless of course you have some fungicides," I stopped when I saw Nera's face. She looked confused but hopeful as she gave me one of her rare smiles.

"I am not sure what baking soda is, but I do know we can get some sulfur!" she said excitedly. I blinked in shock. Baking soda spray was a simple solution any home gardener could whip up from the contents in their cupboards back on Earth. It is funny to think how much I had taken that little yellow box for granted throughout my life.

I returned her smile, "that's great! We will need about 1 ounce of sulfur for every gallon of water."

"You will have to help me with some of those measurement conversions there, but I'm sure we will figure it out," Nera said happily, and I nearly slapped myself for forgetting I'm not in the USA in 2119. "While we prepare that, maybe you could ask Geo for help with the...baking soda was it?"

I looked at her in confusion, "Why would I ask him?"

Nera shrugged, "he's a clever one. He has always had an aptitude for science and machinery. It runs in his blood. I'm sure he would be able to figure something out."

I was curious to learn more about the man who woke me, my 'prince charming' as it were. If only he would act charming, and I less of a bull in a china shop. "What do you mean by it runs in his blood?" I asked attempting to look disinterested. "Does that include his sister?"

Nera gave a short laugh, "oh goodness no. She unfortunately didn't get that gift, but she is skilled in other ways within the political arena. It comes from his mother, the poor thing. Who knows how far this pod could have gone if it weren't for her untimely death," she said sadly.

My heart ached for both Geo and his sister. I knew what that loss felt like, and I suppose that is one thing that we have in common. Nera shook her head to clear it before turning to me, "we should get to work removing the infected plants and mixing that sulfur spray." I nodded and rolled up my sleeves to get to work.

We quickly removed the mildew covered plants from Sporo03 and jettisoned them into space, careful to sanitize anything that came in contact with the fungus. Soon enough Nera's assistants arrived with bags of sulfur that smelled slightly of rotting eggs. Thank goodness sulfur is one of the most common elements in the universe. It took the rest of the day to spray down the other plants in hopes that they wouldn't succumb to the powdery mildew.

Nera led me back to the dock, and after we were decontaminated she let out a long sigh. I turned to her while removing my glasses. "You know," she said wistfully, "I don't want to get my hopes up too much. It has been a long and rough battle to keep this pod fed. But for the first time in a long time, I think I can see a way forward. Thank you for that."

"It was no trouble," I said, a blush creeping up on my face from her praise.

"And don't forget to talk to Geo about that soda thing," she reminded me. "If we don't find a treatment soon I fear we can say goodbye to cucumbers forever. That was one of our last plants," she said sadly.

Coming from a dying world extinction wasn't unfamiliar to me, but it was nevertheless sad when you know you have had the last of something for all of time. I suddenly thought of the heirloom seeds I had brought with me in my hibernation pod. I wonder if they are still good...

"You know, I might have a cucumber variety that is very resistant to powdery mildew. The Japanese Natsu Fushinari variety. I can bring it with me next time to see if it is still viable," I said while lost in my own thoughts.

Nera froze beside me. "You brought seeds?" she asked robotically.

"Well...yes. I have always grown plants and am a botanist, so I smuggled some in my hibernation pod for safe keeping."

Nera's eyes continued to stare at me without blinking which unnerved me.

"But I don't know if they survived the journey," I rambled trying to dispel the awkward moment.

"You must bring them with you tomorrow!" Nera said urgently with a hint of excitement.

I stepped back in surprise, "um, well of course. But I don't know what Councilman Albin has assigned me to do tomorrow."

Nera waved her hand to shoo away any excuses. "Don't worry about Albin. I will make sure he sends you here. We don't have time to delay!" Her old eyes sparkled with excitement. She reached for my shoulders, turned me around, and started pushing me towards the ship. "You must get some rest. I will see you tomorrow morning!" she said as she nearly shoved me onboard. For an older woman she sure was strong.

Lena eyed me as I stumbled into my seat. "She comes to me tomorrow morning," Nera told Lena with authority. "Albin will be notified," she added cooly. I could see the power play dynamics at work between Nera, Albin, and Lena and took note. Lena's mouth twisted in annoyance before she pushed the cargo door closed.

We made our way back to Central, my stomach only mildly upset by the journey. It gave me some hope that I might get used to zero-g. I laid on my bed in my tiny apartment feeling relieved that I was found useful and also excited at the prospect of growing again tomorrow. And, truthfully, I was excited to see him tomorrow as well.